Welcome to the Museum of Communication Frankfurt

The experts on the past, present and future of communication

In the multiple award-winning museum building on Schaumainkai, you will gain a comprehensive insight into the history of communication. Special features include the department of art and communication and the lively programme of the children’s workshop.

At the permanent exhibition “Media history|s retold!” you can experience the development of communication over an area of 2,500 sqm. With the help of groundbreaking inventions, interesting adventures and extraordinary fates, we span the spectrum from the cuneiform writing tablet to smartglasses.

On the 1st floor, next to the hands-on area of the children’s workshop, is the Forum – a showroom for smaller temporary exhibitions. On the 2nd floor, large temporary exhibitions are presented over an area of 550 sqm. A radio station is located on the roof of the museum, which every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month is open. Please check our calendar for the exact opening hours.

From the Federal Postal Museum to the Museum of Communication

The History of the Museum

The origins of the museum can be traced back to the relocation of the collection of the Reichspostmuseum in Berlin during the Second World War: in 1945, parts of the collection were transferred by American soldiers from Berlin to Hesse, where they formed the basis for the Bundespostmuseum, which opened in 1958. Housed in a Gründerzeit (Wilhelminian style) villa, the Bundespostmuseum was among the first museums on Frankfurt’s Schaumainkai – later to become the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment).

The new museum building with its attractive architecture was opened in 1990. The old villa was renovated from the ground up and houses the museum administration inside.

The Museum für Kommunikation Frankfurt is part of the Museum Foundation Post and Telecommunications. This also includes the Museum of Communication Berlin, the Museum of Communication Nuremberg and the Archive for Philately Bonn.

Transparency and openness

The Architecture of the Museum

The new museum building, designed by the Stuttgart architectural firm Behnisch & Partner, was opened in 1990. The main exhibition area was placed underground in the basement, so that the park-like old tree population around the old building villa was preserved. Nowadays, the villa houses the museum administration and the library; the new building houses the permanent and temporary exhibitions.

The modern, predominantly glass and aluminium building forms a charming contrast to the warm sandstone of the old building. The central element of the multi-award-winning building is the cut glass cone. The atrium below offers visitors a charming view of all floor levels. With its distinct transparency and openness, the architecture of the museum already conveys the theme of “communication” in an excellent way.